NRF: Retailers Report Sluggish September

With economic pressures hindering consumer spending, retail sales continued to lag in advance of the holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation, which reported Wednesday that retail industry sales for September (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) decreased 0.7 percent seasonally adjusted from August, while increasing 1.4 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

September retail sales released Wednesday by the U.S. Commerce Department show total retail sales (which include non-general merchandise categories such as autos, gasoline stations and restaurants) were flat unadjusted over last year and down 1.2 percent seasonally adjusted from August.